Exchange 2003 migration toolkit

Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 entered the market on September 28, 2003 and continued the great messaging and collaboration experience that Microsoft Exchange Server had provided in previous releases. As we approach April 8, 2014, we want to inform users of Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 of the opportunities you have as we near the end of support for that version of Exchange.

We have been told by a variety of customers that some of the top concerns of businesses today involve data security, compliance, eDiscovery, mobile devices use / bring-your-own-device, and IT management. While Exchange 2003 was a leader in messaging space, its decade old capabilities may not meet the needs of a modern business. Exchange Online or Microsoft Exchange Server 2013 provide an updated, modern solution that address these top concerns and provide additional capabilities to meet your business needs. In comparing versions of Exchange Server, you will quickly see all of the benefits of moving to the current version of the platform.

The process to move from Exchange 2003 to Exchange 2013 on-premises is a two-step migration. There is no native, direct migration path from Exchange Server 2003 to Exchange 2013 on premises; it must be done in stages. For an Exchange Online migration, you can use the Migration dashboard in the Exchange Admin Center (EAC) to migrate mailboxes and mail content from an on-premises messaging system (including Exchange 2003) to Exchange Online and your Office 365 organization. You can migrate mailboxes and mailbox data from Exchange 2013, Exchange 2010, Exchange 2007 and Exchange 2003, or migrate mailbox data from an IMAP messaging system.

The migration plan should address immediate needs but should also focus directly on the future of your messaging platform. Please use the information and resources below to help you make a decision that meets all of your needs.

Depending on your choices in the Exchange Server Deployment Assistant you may elect to migrate to Exchange 2013 on-premises via Exchange 2010, or you may elect to migrate directly to our Office 365 hosted Exchange environment. The references linked at the end of this post provide more information on specific migration scenarios and coexistence with both Exchange 2010 and Exchange 2013.